# Eric Arenson > UX for Robots. Navigating ambiguity is my love language. Location: Los Altos, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/ericarenson When I was little, I wanted to be three things - an astronaut, a paleontologist, and a cartoonist. While I may not be floating in space, spending my days digging in cliffsides, or have a strip in the Sunday paper, design allows me to be a little of all three. UX and Product design allows me to explore new frontiers, looking for ways to create things for people that have a positive impact on their lives. It allows me to dig deep to understand qualitative and quantitative data to ensure that technology works in the service of humans, and not the other way around. And ultimately, it allows me to surprise and delight, crating experiences and interactions with systems that people truly enjoy. AREAS OF EXPERTISE
 • Design Leadership – Creating safe spaces for teams to learn, grow, and do their best work. Communicating design to all levels of an organization, from engineers to C-suite.
 • Strategy, Exploration & Discovery – Creating a North Star to help guide 0-to-1 products from start to finish. A deep understanding of the value in prototyping. Show don’t tell. Understanding the right fidelity for the right moment in the design process. 
 • Designing for Ecosystems – Consideration of how all the pieces of a puzzle go together to create holistic experiences across an ecosystem of products or services.
 • Collaboration & Connections – Working and aligning with teams and stakeholders across organizations, looking for opportunities for connecting existing (or past) work to benefit all. KEYWORDS Design Leadership | User Experience Design | Digital Transformation | Govtech | Product Design | Human-Centered Design | DesignOps | UX Design | Design Lead | Prototyping | Workshop Facilitation | Automotive | Government | Federal | Healthcare | Industrial Design ## Work Experience ### Staff User Experience Designer, Robotics @ Toyota Research Institute Jan 2024 – Present | Los Altos, California, United States • Designing physical interfaces to allow robots to communicate with their environment. • Helping establish design principles and processes for doing human-centered design work in the context of a research organization. • Creation and development of a design system that encompasses designing for both physical and digital machine learning and robotics applications. ### UX Design Lead, Research & Experience Definition @ Intel Corporation Jan 2022 – Jan 2023 | Hillsboro, Oregon, United States Led a team of 6 designers defining Intel's future products & partner engagements by driving experience improvements across multiple focus areas (Creators, Gamers, Hybrid Workers, Developers, and Students). ### Sr. Staff Experience Designer @ Intel Corporation Jan 2022 – Jan 2022 | Hillsboro, Oregon, United States Helped bring a human-centered approach to ensuring that computing of the future is designed with people in mind through research, prototyping, and testing. ### Product Designer, Experience Lab @ General Motors Jan 2021 – Jan 2022 Partnered with teams across General Motors to define & prototype early-stage concepts for service, in-vehicle, EV/AV, and mobility ecosystem experiences through a human-centered lens. ### Lead UX Design Strategist, Medicaid and CHIP @ A1M Solutions Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 Led a team of researchers and designers in the consolidation 6 web-based tools into a unified application utilized by all 52 states, leveraging research, prototyping, testing, and iterative design processes. Mentored UX designers within the agency in their projects, careers, and navigating designing for federal healthcare. ### Senior Product Designer @ Datto, Inc. Jan 2020 – Jan 2020 | Portland, Oregon Brought a human-centered approach to exploring new product concepts and business models. ### Associate Design Director, UX @ Uncorked Studios Jan 2018 – Jan 2020 | Portland, Oregon Area Explored interactions and experiences across a number of industries in the emerging fields of augmented and virtual reality, wearable devices, and AI. Mentored junior designers and helped establish a discovery framework to guide innovation projects. ### Senior Interaction Designer @ Steelcase Jan 2015 – Jan 2018 | Portland, Oregon Helped establish the Smart and Connected product category by gaining product management, engineering, and business development support for web, mobile, and physical/digital products to boost focus, privacy, and well-being for people in the workplace. Owned new concept exploration across all product verticals, collaborating with industrial designers, engineers, and developers on how to apply human centered design principles in their projects. ### UX/UI Designer @ City of Portland, Bureau of Technology Services, eGov Team Jan 2011 – Jan 2015 | portland, oregon area First designer to join the eGovernment team, creating intuitive mobile and web applications, serving both internal and public users, to facilitate park discovery, tax payments, and engagement with city government services. ### Owner @ The Crafty Fox Jan 2013 – Jan 2014 | Forest Grove, OR Co-Owner of The Crafty Fox, a retail shop and class space featuring the work of local designers, artists, and makers with a few simple goals: • To support local economy, community, and artisans. • To connect our amazing and eclectic community with equally amazing regional designers and makers. • To bring neighbors and friends closer together. ### Digital Craftsman @ Self Employed Jan 2006 – Jan 2011 | Los Angeles Metropolitan Area As a versatile freelance web designer and developer, I specialized in crafting tailored web solutions to adapt to the dynamic digital landscape. My services included website design, e-commerce solutions, social media integration, and the creation of custom applications and content tabs on platforms like WordPress. Managing all aspects of my freelance business, I designed and developed solutions end-to-end, translating client requirements from initial kickoff to final execution. ### Lead Creative @ Apple, Inc Jan 2006 – Jan 2009 Led a retail training team of Creatives, overseeing staffing, professional development, and maximizing session delivery. Spearheaded recruitment and training for the Creative team, extending market training to regional stores. Introduced Spanish-language sessions to cater to a sizable Hispanic customer base. Provided instruction to Apple users in MacOS with a specialization in creative tools such as Motion, DVD Studio Pro, Aperture, and Adobe Creative Suite 3 for Pro App customers. ### Production Artist @ Firewood, Inc. Jan 2003 – Jan 2006 First in-house designer, specialized in designing and executing comprehensive marketing campaigns, integrating digital and print elements such as HTML emails, web banners, interactive Flash applications, and rich-media applications. With a diverse brand portfolio including Adobe, Kodak, Bacardi Global Brands, and others spanning various industries, I was able to hone my expertise in delivering impactful visual solutions. My primary tools of the trade were Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash, and InDesign. ### Graphic Designer @ WAAG Jan 1998 – Jan 2000 First member of the in-house design team, creating promotional materials including posters, brochures, and sales sheets, as well as designing and building the company's website. Managed design and production of large-scale banners for automotive dealerships. Created company IT department to support graphic design services. ## Education ### B.A. in Fine Art & Communication The Evergreen State College ### Cooper Professional Education ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ericarenson - Portfolio: http://ericarenson.com --- Source: https://flows.cv/ericarenson JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/ericarenson/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13